staunch
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Old French estanchier (“to stanch”), from Vulgar Latin *stanticāre (“to stop”), from Latin stāre, present active infinitive of stō (“I stand”).
Pronunciation [edit]
Adjective [edit]
staunch (comparative stauncher, superlative staunchest)
- loyal, trustworthy, reliable, outstanding
- He's been a staunch supporter of mine through every election.
- 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses, Episode 16
- he relished a glass of choice old wine in season as both nourishing and bloodmaking and possessing aperient virtues (notably a good burgundy which he was a staunch believer in)
- dependable, persistent
- Without our staunch front line the enemy would have split the regiment.
Translations [edit]
loyal, trustworthy, reliable, outstanding
Verb [edit]
staunch (third-person singular simple present staunches, present participle staunching, simple past and past participle staunched)
- (transitive) To stop the flow of (blood).
- (transitive) To stop, check, or deter an action.
- Somebody's got to staunch those press leaks!
Translations [edit]
to stop the flow of (blood)
to stop, check, or deter an action
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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Usage notes [edit]
The spelling staunch is more commonly used for the adjective. In contrast, stanch is more commonly used as the spelling of the verb.
